New Season Olive Oil

Spain’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is prized for its quality and flavour, an essential element of the Mediterranean diet. In fact, Spain is the world’s leading producer of olive oil, with millions of hectares of land dedicated to growing around 340 million olive trees. These traditional landscapes and the olives and oils they produce are a key part of Spain’s rich gastronomic culture.

With just weeks since the olives were on the branch, winter is a great time to try new season oil. New season oil is produced annually after each harvest, refreshing the flavour profile for the year ahead.

Last year, the extremes of climate change are taking their toll on Spain’s traditional production. Severe drought and unusual heatwaves have significantly reduced the 2023 harvest volume, inevitably pushing prices up.

Heat affects olive fruit production when it hits during the delicate spring flowering period, and summer temperatures peaking in the 40s mean that stressed trees produce less and smaller fruit, reducing the yields. The result is that oil quality remains high but now comes at a higher price.